Utah Softball Edges Wisconsin, 3-2

Sunday, March 6

Tallahassee, Fla.

9:00 AM

University of Utah

Wisconsin

3/6/2011 12:00 AM | Softball

March 6, 2011

Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Runs in both the sixth and seventh innings gave Utah a 3-2 victory over Wisconsin in the first game of the day at the Big 10 Ten/MWC/ACC Challenge at JoAnne Graf Field. In the final game of the day, the Utes lost to the host Florida State, 7-3. Utah went 2-2 over the weekend.

Utah (8-13) received another solid performance on the mound by Generra Nielson, who went 12.0 innings in the two games while allowing six earned runs on 11 hits to go with 15 strikeouts and only five walks.

Cheyella Meyers put together a 4-for-7 effort at the plate and also drove in a run, while Kelsi Hoopiiaina, Whitney Holm and Jackie Sweet collected three hits apiece. Hoopiiaina and Tara Glover were credited with two RBI apiece.

Utah def. Wisconsin, 3-2

Nielson picked up her eighth win in 2011 with her fifth complete game of the year against the Badgers. In 7.0 innings, Nielson allowed one earned run on four hits to go with a career-high 13 strikeouts and only four walks. Nielson improved to 8-8 on the year.

Hoopiiaina was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI against the Badgers and Myers was 2-for-3.

With the game tied at two runs apiece in the seventh, Myers drew a leadoff walk then Tia Palauni walked for the fourth time in the game before pinch hitter Hannah Clements reached on an infield single to load the bases before a ground ball hit by Brooke Olson was misplayed by the Badger shortstop that gave the Utes the walk-off win.

Facing a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning, Sweet led off with a double to center field on a 3-1 pitch then Holm lined a single through the left side of the Badger defense to put runners on first and third base. Hoopiiaina came through with a bunt single to push Sweet across the plate for the game-tying run.

Wisconsin got on the board first in the top of the second frame thanks to a leadoff triple by the Badgers' Kendall Grimm. Utah got the run back in the bottom half of the inning as Olson drew a leadoff walk and Hoopiiaina then hit a one-out single to right-center field. Olson used her speed to score from first base on the play and to tie the game at one run apiece.

Wisconsin's final run of the contest came in its fifth inning before Utah rallied for the win.

Florida State def. Wisconsin, 7-3

Five different Utes had multi-hit efforts in the second game of the day against Florida State, but Utah suffered a 7-3 loss to the host Seminoles.

Glover, Myers, Sweet, Olson and Holm all gathered two hits apiece while Glover also drove in a pair of runs for the Utes.

On the mound, Nielson went 5.0 innings and allowed five earned runs on seven hits while fanning two and only walking one. Joni Cook and Naomi Amu came on in relief, but Nielson was tagged with the loss and is now 8-9 this season.

The Utes got off to an excellent start with a three-run third inning. Holm began the rally with a one-out single to right-center field and Hoopiiaina looped a single through the left side of the Seminole defensive alignment. The first runs of the game came across the plate when Glover doubled down the left-field line to score Hoopiiaina and Holm. Myers tagged a 1-2 pitch for a single through the left side to allow Glover to plate Utah's third run.

Unfortunately, a four-run fifth inning by Florida State gave the Seminoles the lead for good before adding three more scores in the sixth frame to make the final score 7-3.

The Utes will take on Southern Utah in a doubleheader on Wednesday in Cedar City, Utah. First pitch of game one is slated for 1 p.m. MT.